


Photograph

by Jam_less



Category: ARMY - Fandom, Kpop - Fandom
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-13
Updated: 2018-04-13
Packaged: 2019-04-22 08:52:01
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,668
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14305146
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jam_less/pseuds/Jam_less
Summary: Yoongi finds himself alone, exhausted, overworked, and missing Taehyung, who has been called out for military service during the middle of a war.





	Photograph

Song: Photograph by Ed Sheeran

Loving can hurt, loving can hurt sometimes  
But it's the only thing that I know  
When it gets hard, you know it can get hard sometimes  
It is the only thing makes us feel alive

 

Yoongi collapsed into bed, exhausted after having slaved away all day working. His mind felt overworked, and he was joyed to be able to rest now, the worst part of his day finally over. He had already finished his nightly routine, and felt at peace as he lay splayed across his bed, finally able to relax. 

Yet even as he lay there, he felt his tired mind drifting to the only part of his life that brought him through every painstaking day, that pushed him to work harder day after day, stopping only when necessary. 

The more he thought of it, the more restless he became, and though he knew he should get to sleep, eventually Yoongi found himself sitting up in bed, rubbing his eyes. His mind lay on the slim possibility of mail, the idea keeping him from sleeping though he would have to wake up early the next morning, and should get to sleep as soon as possible.

Yoongi slipped out of the covers and stood up, bare feet resting on the cold, hardwood floor. He took a few steps through the cover of darkness, feeling his way along the wall till he found the door of his room which he swung open, flicking on the lights of the hallway that lead to his apartment door. He quickly trotted down the hallway, and stepped into a pair of slippers before exiting his apartment.

Though he wasn't outside, even the hallways of the apartment building were much colder than his own apartment, though he barely noticed the change, focused only on the possibility that had gotten him through the day despite waking up early to work and getting home late. He walked at a quick pace through the apartment, deciding to take the stairs over the elevator, being only one floor above ground level. 

Once he had gotten down the stairs and walked through the rest of the hallways, he reached his destination, opening the door to the dark city streets. 

Yoongi was met with an icy breeze that ruffled his messy hair as he padded across the sidewalk in his slippers, finally reaching the mailboxes. He found his apartment number, pulling out the key from his pocket and slipping it into his mailbox. As he twisted the key in it's hole, excitement and hope filling him only to be released with an overwhelming sense of isolation and despair when he pulled open the mailbox to find it empty, the exact same sight that had met his eyes every single day for the past month. 

 

We keep this love in a photograph  
We made these memories for ourselves  
Where our eyes are never closing  
Hearts are never broken  
And time's forever frozen still

 

"Everybody take cover!" came the strict voice of the Commanding Officer as the sound of jet engines became audible, accompanied by the heavy rain. Having heard this call many times before, Taehyung was quick to react, running through the foot of water that covered the bottom of the trench and crouching under a ledge in the trench along with multiple other solders from his Squad. 

Just moments later, he heard the whistle of shells and bullets shooting through the air. Closing his eyes, he curled his fingers tightly around his gun, praying to anyone who might hear him not to let one of the shells land in his Squad's trench, where their small cover would do nothing to stop the explosion.

Taehyung shifted his weight in the uncomfortable position he was forced into by the tight space he had chosen as cover. Knowing the downfall of shells would continue on for a while, Taehyung took one hand off his gun and slid it into one of his coat pockets, taking hold of what felt like a piece of paper and pulling it out. 

When he looked down, he was greeted by the smiling face of Yoongi, the older boy's beautiful features captured in the flash of just one moment, yet still bringing joy and hope to Taehyung as he stared at the unblinking eyes of the older boy who he would have given anything to be with at that moment.

Time slowed as his eyes stared longingly at the boy he held in his hands, and his fear of the shells that rained down from the sky disappeared, his mind stuck in pause, wishing for only one thing.

After about 15 minutes, the whistle of shells and the rush of plane engines slowly left them, though just like the actual rain, the rain of bullets continued as always, though they were safe inside their trenches. 

"Everybody out!" called the Commanding Officer, forcing Taehyung to reconnect with the world, quickly stuffing the picture back into his pocket and zipping it closed, careful not to bend or crease the photo. 

 

So you can keep me  
Inside the pocket of your ripped jeans  
Holding me closer 'til our eyes meet  
You won't ever be alone, wait for me to come home

 

"Yoongi, could I speak with you for a few minutes?" his professor asked as Yoongi collected all of his materials, putting them in his bag and slinging it over his shoulder. 

"Of course," Yoongi said, watching as the last of the other students left the room, " but I have somewhere to be, so please make it quick."

"I don't want to hold you here," the professor assured him, before diving into the reason he had asked Yoongi to stay to speak with him. "Is everything okay?" he asked, obviously concerned. "When you first decided to go to collage here and study music, you were one of the top students, always on time with amazing quality of work. You have a crazy amount of talent, but recently you've gone downhill. I'm not quite sure why, but your grade is dropping, and you're not bringing in the same level of work you used to. It's hard for me to see such a talented student with a C in my class when I know you're capable of better. Is there something you would like to tell me?"

Yoongi sighed, remembering when he had decided to go to collage. He had been unable to pay for a good collage when he should have normally gone, instead skipping to get a job before doing his service in the military and try to sell music he wrote in his free time. A few years after, he had met Taehyung, who convinced him to go to collage, helping him pay for the fee. Now that Taehyung had been called for his own service in the military, Yoongi had to keep up a full-time job along with his studies so he was able to pay, not wanting to be in severe debt once he got out of collage. 

It had been extremely difficult in the past few months, and he had barely slept, working night shifts just to keep up. Taking a day off to get some rest was out of the question, so he had slowly grown more and more exhausted every day, getting at most four hours of sleep.

"Just..." Yoongi gritted his teeth, uncomfortable from the situation he had put himself into. "I don't have much time to do the homework you assign because I've taken up a full-time  job to pay for this. I don't have any real excuses, but I'm sure this will have cleared up within the next four months at most."

The Professor nodded as if he understood, looking like he wished to help. "Don't overwork yourself," he offered the little advice and help he could. "I can take away some of your assignments, but that would mean you have to improve on the ones you are given for your grade to go up."

"That would be very kind," Yoongi responded, relieved at the slight break. "Thank you so much."

"My pleasure," the Professor responded, "I hope I didn't keep you too long, you better get off to wherever it was you needed to be."

"Once more, Thank you," Yoongi said, bowing his head before turning towards the door. "I'll see you at class tomorrow."

 

Loving can heal, loving can mend your soul  
And it's the only thing that I know, know  
I swear it will get easier  
Remember that with every piece of you  
Hm, and it's the only thing we take with us when we die

 

Taehyung snapped off his helmet, setting it in his bag and sitting on his bed. He had just been released along with his roommates, Jeon Jungkook and Park Jimin. It had been a long night, and the three friends would have to wake up again in five hours, the morning bells sounding and cutting through everyone's sleep, even if you had the day off, a rare happening.

Taehyung quickly changed into his pajamas, glad he didn't have a night shift as he slipped under his covers. 

"Goodnight," he called from where he lay comfortably even though the mattress was hard and the blankets were too thin. 

"Goodnight, Tae," came Jimin's response. "Goodnight Kookie."

"Goodnight you two," Jungkook said, slipping into bed himself. "Can you turn off the lights, hyung?"

There was the soft sound of Jimin walking across the room, before the lights flicked off and a blanket of darkness covered them. Jimin followed the other two, quickly getting in bed to escaped the cold. 

Though he was exhausted, Taehyung lay in bed, eyes wide open, unable to sleep. All of a sudden the bed seemed too small, uncomfortable and empty. After a couple of minutes, his eyes adjusted to the dark, and he tossed in bed, restless even though he had been exhausted all day. 

It was a constant cycle that ruined his sleep, cutting his five or six hours every day into three or four. 

Even as he finally did settle in a more comfortable position, Taehyung's eyes stayed open, and he found himself looking into Yoongi's eyes, the older boy smiling at him from his bedside table, on which he always kept a photo of Yoongi, though he had few. 

As he started at the older boy's smiling face and beautiful features, Taehyung imagined Yoongi was there, sleeping on the imaginary other side of his bed. As these thoughts traveled through his mind, his eyes slowly closed, his mind drifting off until he found himself settling into a deep sleep, finally able to rest with the comfort of being so close to the older boy, even if it wasn't real. 

 

Hm, we keep this love in this photograph  
We made these memories for ourselves  
Where our eyes are never closing  
Hearts were never broken  
And time's forever frozen still  
So you can keep me  
Inside the pocket of your ripped jeans  
Holding me closer 'til our eyes meet  
You won't ever be alone

 

Yoongi walked across the sidewalk just outside of his apartment, getting home slightly earlier than usual. He took out his key and opened the front door of the apartment building before stopping and turning back, his eyes raking over the mailboxes in which he had found so much disappointment over the long span of time in which Taehyung had been away. 

He almost didn't turn to check his mailbox, just to make sure there wasn't something, he almost just walked past, straight into his apartment, but the small hope that had been chipped away at every time he opened the mailbox to find nothing still forced him to jog across the sidewalk, pulling out the key and opening his mailbox. 

Inside, a small letter sat, waiting to be opened, and Yoongi's heart soared as he picked it up, reading the return address of the base at which Taehyung was stationed. 

Yoongi shouldered his bag, racing back into the building in his excitement and took the stairs up to his apartment. He quickly closed the door behind himself and tossed his bag to the ground, plopping down onto the couch as he slid open the letter, pulling out the handwritten message inside.

The lettering was obviously in Taehyung's handwriting, small but clear and easy to read. The letters were placed neatly on the paper, and Yoongi traced his finger over the writing as he read, savoring every word. 

 

Min Yoongi,

Have you been eating? I hope you are in good health, and spending your time wisely. Remember to take a day off every once in a while and spend time with friends, you won't be able to last the next four months working day and night unless you take a rest and have the support of those who care for you. Maybe you should call your Mother soon, she sent me a letter saying she hasn't heard from you in a while, I think she's getting worried.   
My squad is doing well, but we're still under heavy fire, so I'm making sure to be extra careful for you. I'm in good health, and we get food every day, so you don't need to worry.   
I don't have much time, and I'm only allowed to send one letter every month now, but when I get promoted I can send two every month, and that's due to happen sometime soon. I'll also get a little more free time then, and I can write more in each letter, because right now we have little time even to sleep, and I don't know how I found enough free time even to write this one letter.   
Speaking of promotion, once I get promoted I'll be able to talk for a little on the phone every month, so at least I'll be able to hear your voice.  
On that note, I can't make this letter much longer or I'll not get any sleep tonight, but please take care of yourself, I don't want you to be in a bad state when I get home in four months. Don't worry about me too much!  
I could also do with more pictures of you, or I won't be able to survive it out here in such a dull, cloudy area. We haven't had a day of sun the entire time, I am going to be much paler when you seem me next.  
I have to go now, I hope this letter gets to you soon and finds you in good health! I love you so much!

        - Kim Taehyung

 

It was shorter than he had wished, but Yoongi was still glad to have a letter, knowing that no length of a letter could satisfy him when he could be with Taehyung instead. 

He sat there for another fifteen minutes, rereading the letter and imagining Taehyung bent over a desk, quickly trying to write as much as he could before he had to sleep. In his mind, everything was perfect, the way Taehyung's brows furrowed, the way he stuck out his tongue slightly in concentration or bit the end of his bottom lip. It was as if he was there, sitting in front of Yoongi as he had been over a year ago, scribbling out a letter on the desk before him. 

It brought temporary peace to Yoongi's longing for the younger boy, but when he finally looked up, entering the real world once more, Taehyung was long gone, off in some far away base where his life was endangered every day he stayed there. 

The only thing Yoongi was left with was photographs of when they had been together, letters written too short, and a hole inside him as if a part of himself were gone. 

 

And if you hurt me  
That's okay baby, only words bleed  
Inside these pages you just hold me  
And I won’t ever let you go  
Wait for me to come home  
Wait for me to come home  
Wait for me to come home  
Wait for me to come home

 

"Hold your line!" Taehyung's commanding officer called as he peered out into the foggy expanse of war-torn land ahead of them. 

There was very little to see ahead of them, but Taehyung kept his eyes peeled open, alert for any movements out in the fog. He lay leaned against the muddy wall of their trench, his head peeking out over the wall along with his gun which was resting on the ground in front of him, trained on the foggy expanse ahead of him.

It was late night, one of the worst times for visibility, and the fog only made it worse. He had been called out in one of his sleeping hours, slipping on his uniform, grabbing his gun and racing out to where his commanding officer had been giving out orders, alerting them of the enemy's advancing line and the possibility of a "surprise" attack. 

So far, there had been no sign of anyone across no-man's land over which they fought, the fog covering any movement that might be taking place in front of them. Still, they stood knee-deep in the water of their trench, aiming out into the dark gray landscape. 

The silence of the cold night seemed to be filled with tension, everyone's eyes searching for movement, unsure if they might have caught a small movement or if it had been a trick of the eye. They continued to stand, until a small noise slowly became audible. Taehyung had barely a few moments to realize that the noises he heard were boots racing across the foggy mass in front of him before the ground around him erupted in a hail of bullets. 

Everything went black as he closed his eyes, finding himself falling backwards into the pool of muddy water that coated the ground. Shock ricocheted through him as his eyes opened to find his vision blurry and smeared with red splotches. His ears rang, and as sound and vision slowly returned to him, he became aware of a searing pain building up from his chest.

He could hear boots slushing through the water around him, and felt someone pulling him up out of the water, yelling orders to another as they scanned over him. Taehyung looked down at himself as he was pulled up, grimacing at the pain that seared through him, locating a fountain of warm, sticky crimson liquid on his left shoulder, just below his collarbone and another right beneath his ribs on the left side of his body. Pain flared from both points, and he began to feel dizzy as his blood seeped from him, mixing with the dark brown muddy water beneath him. 

After a few moments of stillness, he felt himself draped over someone's shoulder, triggering a new wave of pain to burn through him. He recognized the person carrying him to be Jungkook, the younger boy speaking to him in a deep, soft tone as he carried him through the chaos towards the medic and dry land. 

The deep voice reminded him of Yoongi, and the more he listened to it, the more he fought to stay awake. He knew that if he did fall asleep, he might never wake up, never see Yoongi again after how hard he had fought to pull himself through the past year and a half, looking forward to when he could make it home to the older boy again. 

Despite this, his aching body began to descend into a dream-filled sleep, his muscles going limp. He didn't even have enough energy to open an eye, and sleep was a refuge, blocking out the searing pain that haunted him. 

 

"How am I going to survive without you?" Yoongi asked, turning to stop in front of Taehyung, just out on the sidewalk in front of their apartment. They had decided to go on a walk, and were just getting back, the full moon outlining them in the darkness of the descending night.

"I'm sure you can make it," Tae smiled, squeezing Yoongi's hand to comfort him. "You went through 21 years without me before, I'm sure you can make it through two years now."

"I wouldn't want to spend a day without you, Tae," Yoongi whispered, looking down at the sidewalk.

"I feel the same way," Taehyung lifted Yoongi's chin gently so their eyes met. "Which is why I want to ask you something."

Yoongi couldn't help but smile as his eyes met the younger's. "Anything you want. Ask away."

"Will you-" Taehyung took a deep breath, pulling a small, black box out of his coat pocked and getting down on one knee as he presented the small box to the older boy. "Will you marry me?" he asked, opening the box to reveal a silver ring with a black strip of darker metal through the center and gold engravings. 

It was in the next moment that Taehyung began to doubt himself, unsure of what he had done as surprise flashed across Yoongi's face, followed by uncertainty as he stood looking down at the younger boy. But just as quickly as the signs of uncertainty and doubt had crossed Yoongi's features, they disappeared.

Instead, his lips upturned softly and his eyes sparkled joyfully as he lifted Taehyung to his feet. "Of course," he whispered, before setting his lips against the younger boy's, the contact settling his heart and mind. His knees were unsteady from what had just happened, and his thoughts were scrambled, but it all seemed just a dull background noise compared to the joy he felt in being so close to the younger boy, in flicking his fingers through Taehyung's soft hair.

The two slowly pulled away, giving Taehyung time to slip the ring onto the ring finger of Yoongi's left hand. It fit perfectly, as he had made sure the sizing was correct beforehand, and the engravings he had designed himself fit the older boy well. 

Taehyung felt his pulse quicken, his mind circling around the idea of being able to show the world that Yoongi was his, and his alone. 

 

Oh, you can fit me  
Inside the necklace you got when you were sixteen  
Next to your heartbeat where I should be  
Keep it deep within your soul  
And if you hurt me  
Well, that's okay baby, only words bleed  
Inside these pages you just hold me  
And I won’t ever let you go

 

Dread. 

Pure, overwhelming dread. 

It was the only thing that Yoongi could feel as the man speaking on the other end of the phone began to deliver the news. 

The call had started with a man's voice asking if he was Min Yoongi, and once the information was confirmed, the man got straight to the point of his call. 

Such a call lead for no misunderstanding, Yoongi realizing right away that it was about Taehyung, though he also quickly realized that the younger boy must not be dead, for if he had been, someone would have showed up at his door to give him the news in person. 

It was because of this small relief that he was able to remain close to calm as the man told him of the situation, Yoongi's nightmares coming to life. 

"Taehyung has been shot in two places while he was in combat. We have transported him to a hospital near the base, and he just got out of surgery," the man stated.

"Oh my god," Yoongi sank into the chair next to him, his legs unstable. He was barely able to understand what he had just been told, one question circling through his brain. "Is he okay?"

"Both of the bullets have been successfully removed, and the damage caused to him by these bullets has been repaired, or is being watched closely," the voice stated. 

Yoongi let out a breath he hadn't realized he was holding, tears threatening his eyes. His voice was shaky as he responded, worry for Taehyung pulsing through him. "Can I speak to him?" Yoongi asked, his tone edged in desperation.

"He is currently resting, but as soon as the Anesthesia wears off and he wakes up, we will ask him if he wants to speak with you," the voice assured, sympathy easy to locate in the man's tone. "I'll make sure to call you when he is available, or if his condition changes."

Yoongi mumbled a thanks, his body tensing as the phone beeped to signal the end of the call. The beep left him sitting alone in his apartment, his hand unconsciously finding it's way down to the ring that sat on his left ring finger, twisting it nervously as he often caught himself doing in stressful situations. 

His mind lingered to all of the horrible possibilities of what might happen to Taehyung, and he sat perfectly still on the chair, his muscles tense as he waited for another call. 

Though he knew he might not receive a call for a couple hours, Yoongi couldn't pull himself to do anything but sit and stare at the screen of his phone, waiting for it light up and buzz in his hands. The thought of Taehyung calling him while he was away or unable to answer set him on edge, and after a few moments of thinking, Yoongi called his teacher to alert them that he wouldn't be able to make it to class today due to a family problem. 

Minutes slowly ticked by as he sat, waiting. Nothing else mattered to him, only the possibility of Taehyung being hurt. 

Every second lasted a day as he sat waiting for any news, but eventually he found an hour had ticked by, leaving him sitting alone, still staring at his phone in expectation. 

Though it took another hour, Yoongi found himself jumping in his chair to find the screen of his phone light up, the same number he had spoken with earlier flashing across the screen.

 

When I'm away, I will remember how you kissed me  
Under the lamppost back on Sixth street  
Hearing you whisper through the phone  
"Wait for me to come home"

 

"Hello?" Yoongi asked into the phone, his heart rate picking up rapidly as he waited for a response, "This is Min Yoongi."

"Jagiya?" Taehyung's voice responded, setting a smile across Yoongi's face.

"Taehyung," Yoongi felt the weight on his chest lift as he heard the younger boy's voice, "I'm so glad you're okay."

"I was worried I would never see you again," Taehyung said, "but now I guess I'll get to see you sooner than I could have hoped. I'm getting a Medical Discharge, apparently my service is finished."

"What do you mean?" Yoongi asked, the words barely registering in his brain.

"Well, my commander called right before you, and he said that my service time has been finished since I'm no longer in a good enough condition to take part in the war," Taehyung replied.

"So you're coming home?" he asked. 

"Yes hyung, I'm coming home as soon as I get out of this damned hospital."

Yoongi sat back in his chair, unsure of what to say as he felt his mood lift, the excitement of seeing the younger boy soon pulsing through him. 

After there was no response for a few moments, Taehyung filled the silence with his voice once more. "It's pretty boring here, so you'll have to call me often. They were talking about transferring me to a hospital in Daegu, closer to home."

"That would be amazing," Yoongi smiled. "Don't rush it though. I'm still just happy you're okay."

"I'll be fine," Taehyung responded, "I have to go for a little, the doctor's here. I'll call you back later!"

"Sounds good," Yoongi said, not wanting to hang up, "I love you! Bye!"

"I love you too, hyung," Tae responded, and Yoongi could imagine the smile spread across his face, the thought bringing joy to his heart as the call ended.

"I'll see you soon."


End file.
